Letters & Opinion
High five to the sky
Columnist
Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the spring 2009 graduating class of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
Doesn’t that have a nice ring to it? It just rolls off the tongue nicely. I believe it would also make an absolutely lovely tattoo. But make sure it can be hidden because we are all professionals now.
I believe it was the great philosophers Boyz II Men who said, “Although we’ve come to the end of the road, still I can’t let go.” That’s how I feel about leaving UW-SP. My friends and fellow graduates, today we are undergoing a transformation. We arrived as students and will leave as alumni. We have been told since we were knee high to a grasshopper that we, as children, were the future. The future is now.
And though we are going into an uncertain future, we will always remember the good times and better friends we’ve made as Pointers. A little part of our souls will forever be colored with our beloved purple and gold. Maybe Stevie Pointer even winks from somewhere deep inside you. I know he winks from inside me.
Our future is uncertain. Some of us have jobs already lined up and will slide into the working world. Others are headed off to further education. And then there’s those of us who really don’t know where we’re going. The economy is a wreck and jobs are disappearing every day. I’m not going to sugarcoat it, friends. The world is a dark and scary place. However, the degrees we receive today are flammable and the lessons they represent can be used to light the way.
Remember your first morning class? The one that was the only reason you had to drag yourself out of the warm comfort of your bed on Friday mornings? Now remember when you stopped going to that class on Friday mornings or would regularly show up late? Remember when your friend had to take that same class the next semester only to complain about the professor’s brand new attendance policy? Our actions affect those who come after us like ripples upon the water. Never forget that.
This campus is known as extremely environmentally conscious. Even if you think that hasn’t touched you, I can guarantee you that it has. We’ve learned the amount of revisions that need to be made to an essay to be able to turn it in for a second class without being academically dishonest. We recycle. We know just how many empty glasses we can stack before the tower topples. The toppling towers we’ve endured have also taught us the value of plastic. We reuse. And we know just the minimum amount of text books and papers we can get by with. We reduce. And now that we are entering the work force, we are all very green.
And let us not forget the important lessons to be learned from popular culture. I’d like to specifically point to a group of individuals whom I believe have touched more of our lives than not. I’m speaking, of course, of the New Kids on the Block. They may have been aiming for a teenage girl demographic but they have lessons galore for all of us. Whether you’re “Hangin’ Tough” or just taking things “Step by Step,” just make sure you get up every morning, look in the mirror and tell yourself “You Got It (The Right Stuff).”
As we embark on this thing we call life, remember to take these lessons to heart. And when you’re asked where you went to school, stand up proud and tell them you’re a Pointer for life. High five to each and every one of you. The highest of fives.
